Name: Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 370 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds chicken breasts (skinless and boneless); ¼ cup olive oil; ¼ cup chicken broth (low sodium); 3 tablespoons lime juice; 3 cloves garlic; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ½ cup fresh cilantro (chopped); ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper (ground); 1 medium jalapeño (seeded and sliced)

This tender and juicy Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken is so delicious! It’s seasoned with the perfect balance of lime, garlic, and fresh cilantro with just a touch of cumin to add a layer of flavor and jalapeno for some mild heat. This chicken is tasty and taco ready!

shredded cilantro lime chicken over a bed of rice.

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Easy Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe

Nowadays everyone seems to be into the Instant Pot and air fryer. But I think the good old crockpot is still an amazing cooking tool that often gets overlooked. In fact, it’s one of my favorite ways to cook chicken breasts. It keeps them so moist and juicy as well as infuses them with so much delicious flavor through the slow cooking method of the crockpot.

And slow cooking is a process that just can’t be rushed with some recipes like this crockpot cilantro lime chicken. Yet, it’s so easy to make that the slow cooking actually adds to the simple recipe. You literally just put all the ingredients into the crockpot, turn it on, come back in a few hours, and a meal is ready to serve! The crockpot does all the work and it’s so yummy!

Not to mention, once the crockpot cilantro lime chicken is done it’s instantly ready to fill tacos and burritos that can be topped with salsa, Cheesy Guacamole, or even Cowboy Caviar. Then just add some yummy Mexican Rice and beans on the side and you’ve got the perfect quick and easy meal!

Why We Love This Cilantro Lime Chicken

Perfect For Taco Tuesday! This easy cilantro lime chicken recipe is so yummy and the perfect weeknight Tuesday taco filler! And the kids will love it too!
Delicious Simple Recipe! The recipe is super simple. All you do is put everything into the crockpot, turn it on to cook, and come back to perfectly cooked chicken! Easy Peasy!
Healthy Protein! This healthy chicken dish is not only totally gluten-free but a fantastic choice if you are trying to watch your carbs or follow a keto diet.
Meal Prep Made Easy! It’s easy to make this recipe ahead of time and freeze the chicken for up to 3 months. Then just remove it from the freezer to thaw the night before you want to make your tacos, burritos, or bowls.

Ingredients You’ll Need

ingredients needed to make cilantro lime chicken in the crockpot.

Chicken – I’m using boneless and skinless chicken breasts. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
Olive oil – I love the flavor that olive oil brings to this recipe, but you can also use any type of vegetable oil like canola, grapeseed, or soybean.
Chicken Broth – I use low sodium chicken broth to control the salt content. If you use regular chicken broth you may want to use half the amount of salt that the recipe calls for.
Lime Juice – Fresh lime juice is best for the tastiest cilantro lime chicken. I find that sometimes concentrated bottled lime juice can have a really harsh acidic flavor.
Garlic Cloves – An important ingredient in this recipe, so it’s best to use fresh garlic cloves. But if you don’t have any on hand you can use ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic for every garlic clove.
Ground Cumin – This spice adds a warm earthy layer of depth to the flavor of the chicken. It’s commonly used in Latin dishes and should not be omitted.
Fresh Cilantro – Cilantro is similar to parsley with a bit of tangy citrus flavor and blends perfectly with the fresh lime juice and cumin.
Jalapeno – I remove the seeds of my jalapeno to control the level of heat and make my crockpot cilantro lime chicken on the mild side. But if you like super spicy food you can leave the seeds in your jalapeno. Just be warned that it will make the chicken extra spicy.
Seasonings – Salt and pepper are used to season and boost the natural flavors of the chicken.

How To Make Cilantro Lime Chicken In The Crockpot

Place the chicken: Put the chicken breasts in a single layer in the crockpot. There is no need to spray with cooking spray or oil the crockpot.
Make the cooking sauce: Add the olive oil, chicken broth, lime juice, garlic cloves, ground cumin, fresh cilantro, jalapeno, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender and puree it all together until smooth. Then pour the blended mixture over the chicken breasts in the crockpot.
Cook the chicken: Cover the crockpot with the lid and cook the chicken on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. It’s important to cook this recipe on LOW. Cooking it at a higher heat could lead to chicken that is dry. Part of what makes this chicken so juicy is the slow cooking at very low heat.
Shred the chicken: Once the chicken is done cooking, use two forks to shred it and toss it around with the sauce. You want to fully coat the shredded chicken in all the yummy sauce for the most flavor.
Serve and enjoy: Use to make cilantro lime chicken tacos, burritos, or sopes. You can also use it to serve over rice to make the perfect bowl with corn, black beans, and your favorite toppings like salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

Can I Use Frozen Chicken In The Crockpot

It’s typically not recommended that you use frozen chicken in the slow cooker because there is a risk of bacteria starting to form before the chicken reaches a safe temperature. So it’s best to thaw the chicken out in the fridge the night before or in the microwave before you put it in the crockpot to cook.

Can I Use Chicken Thighs Instead?

Yes! You can easily make crockpot cilantro lime chicken thighs. Just use boneless skinless chicken thighs in place of the breasts and follow the instructions exactly the same.

shredded cilantro like chicken in a crockpot.

Can I Make This In The Instant Pot?

Absolutely! Add all the ingredients as instructed to your instant pot and pressure cook on manual for 10 minutes. Once the Instant Pot cycle is complete, wait until the natural release cycle is complete. Remove the chicken from the Instant pot and shred as instructed then add back to the sauce to stir it all together.

Expert Tips

Puree the sauce well. For the best flavor make sure to blend all the sauce ingredients together well. You really want the chicken to be saturated in all those flavors.
Don’t overcook the chicken. This is a slow cooker meal, but that doesn’t mean you can just leave it in the crockpot forever. The chicken will turn to mush eventually.
Add more peppers to spice it up. If you want to make it spicier you can either leave the seeds in the jalapeno or add more jalapeno to the recipe. Or better yet, do both!

Leftovers

You can store leftover crockpot cilantro lime chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months! To reheat, just put it covered in the microwave for about 5 minutes on medium power.